ts say it is too early to declare victory. The overwhelming majority of hostages have been sailors on merchant ships, though European families have also been kidnapped from their yachts while traveling in the dangerous Indian Ocean coastal waters. Four Americans were killed in February 2011 when the pirates who boarded their ship apparently became trigger-happy because of nearby U.S. warships. For the pirates, the risks of being arrested, killed or lost at sea are overshadowed by the potential for huge payouts. Ransoms for large ships in recent years have averaged close to $5 million. The largest reported ransom was $11 million for the Greek oil tanker MV Irene SL last year. The ransoms are often air-dropped down to hijacked ships. Somalia has been mired in conflict since President Siad Barre was overthrown by warlords in 1991 who then turned on each other. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. An insider's guide to politics and policy, available on the iPad or as a PDF download.[标签:标题]
By JESSICA WEISS, Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) Summer has arrived in the Southern Hemisphere,http://www.61mmbb.com/bbs/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1699730, and bicyclists all over the Argentine capital have hit the streets to enjoy the warm weather. That means this should be peak season for bicycle manufacturers and shops all over town, but the ride hasn't been so smooth this year. Instead,http://zanazeen.com/index.php?do=/user/login/, economic dysfunction has curtailed any possible boom. Cardboard boxes full of partially assembled mountain bikes, missing a pedal,toms sale, seat or handlebars and unable to be sold, gather dust in a corner of the Musetta bicycle factory in suburban Buenos Aires,toms shoes on sale. Meanwhile, they're running out of stock at Nodari Bikes, a neighborhood cycling store. Civic leaders have tried to make Buenos Aires a bicycle-friendly city, but that's been stymied by another government initiative protectionist import bans designed to spur domestic production that have instead strangled supplies of everything from bananas to prescription drugs. Enacted by the national government on Feb. 1,toms shoes sale, the new laws block or restrict the importing of some 600 goods while requiring foreign companies to partner with local manufacturers. That's helped Argentina's domestic manufacturing capacity rebound, while unemployment has dropped and the nation's balance of trade has improved. But many products are also hard to find, pushing up prices and further heating up inflation. For cyclists, fewer bikes are available because the business mostly relies on foreign-made parts. "We're selling the little that remains and sort of waiting to see what happens next," said bike shop owner Claudio Nodari. "It's too bad because biking was growing this was a moment of opportunity." A record 1.8 million bicycles were sold in Argentina in 2011, and the industry had predicted sales would surpass 2 million bikes in 2012,http://www.fashioncn.org/discuz/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1072305, producing an estimated $510 million in revenue. Now, the Argentine Bicycle Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates some 1.6 million bikes wi